Monday, March 27, 2017

As the veil to the Dream becomes dangerously thin, Josh must stop it from tearing to save the world, in the conclusion to The Dream Walker Trilogy.

Trying to control her powers as the True Dream Walker is hard enough with Feodor as her instructor. But trying to learn her strengths with a broken heart makes it nearly impossible for Josh. When mysterious tears in the veil separating the Dream from the waking world begin to appear, and with Peregrine still on the run and Haley trapped in Death, Josh finds herself truly in over her head. With the World threatening to crumble around her, Josh must figure out who she really is and what she wants in time to save it, herself, and everyone she loves.

You won’t be disappointed in this exciting conclusion to Kit Alloway’s The Dream Walker Trilogy.

Praise for DREAM FOREVER

“Written with an alluring, almost hallucinatory atmosphere punctuated by visceral horror, this is a phantasmagoric swirl in which quantum theory meets Freddy Krueger. Readers are left blinking and anticipating the next volume of this nightmarish saga.” —Kirkus Reviews on Dreamfever

“Dreamfire is an amazing fantasy novel with realistic characters who will grab readers from the first page, immersing them in a fantastic new universe. Divergent fans will be pleased with the unique concept. The twisty plot never dulls, leaving readers guessing til the end. Alloway is one author to be on the lookout for.” —RT Book Reviews on Dreamfire

“Alloway's writing is rich and vivid, and the dynamics within the close-knit cast of characters make the danger even more delicious as readers watch for the outcome.” —School Library Journal on Dreamfire

“Patient readers will be richly rewarded with effective mystery, a charged romance (of course Will and Josh wind up together), and a cool alternative world detailed onto our current one in ways that make expected places and scenes unfamiliar and magical.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books on Dreamfire

That was only part of the truth. Josh had a reputation among dream walkers as a prodigy, and they were usually more than happy to bend over backward for her.

“Ironic,” Feodor said, but he smiled at her in a way that made her feel like he saw right through her. “Unfortunately, triangulating the bodies will give us, at best, a rough idea of where Peregrine might be.”

Not to discount the lives of the five men Peregrine had killed, but Josh had a larger concern. If he found a way back into the Dream, he was likely to hurt a lot more people. “What are the chances he’ll figure out how to deactivate the symbol?”

Feodor considered. “I could do it. But then, Peregrine is not me.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” Josh said.

“However . . . the power of obsession to propel a man to acts of which he might not other wise be capable should not be underestimated. I believe Peregrine will continue until he finds a way.”

That was not reassuring.

Two

“I really think I’m over it,” Will Kansas told his counselor.

Malina wasn’t technically a therapist, but as a pastor, she’d been trained in counseling, and because she was a dream walker, Will could tell her the truth about what had happened to him. They were sitting in her office, which smelled pleasantly of herbal tea and was cluttered with little statues of angels.

Malina lifted her eyebrows at his words. “That’s pretty quick,” she said. “How long has it been? Six weeks?”

“Eight,” Will corrected. Eight weeks since they’d gone into the Hidden Kingdom. Eight weeks since Will had killed Bayla. Eight weeks since he’d failed to kill Peregrine.

Eight weeks since he and Josh had broken up.

“How do you know you’re over it?” Malina asked.

“I’ve stopped having flashbacks and nightmares. I’ve stopped thinking about it all the time. I feel— mostly—at peace with what I had to do to save every one. I took down my stalker wall.”

“Okay,” Malina said, but the way she broke the syllable told Will she wasn’t crazy about his answer. “That’s all good evidence that your post- traumatic stress is under control, but I’m not sure how that indicates you’re moving on.”

Isn’t holding it together enough? Will wondered. It felt like it should count for something.

“Did you try out for track like we talked about?”

“No.”

“Did you join the Amnesty International Club?”

“No.” Before she could ask what other activities he had avoided, Will said, “I just keep thinking that Peregrine’s still out there. What’s the point of starting something new when I know he’s going to come back and screw it all up?”

“ You’re certain he’ll come back.”

“As long as Josh has power he doesn’t have, he’ll be back to try to take it. I doubt he’s done with Mirren, either.”

“How’s Josh doing?”

In the two months since they’d broken up, Josh had tested out of her se nior year and graduated early. She spent ten hours a day in the Dream, most of them with Feodor. She’d stopping eating meals with her family, and Will was pretty sure she was living on protein bars and candy. She’d also quit brushing her hair and was getting dressed in the dark, apparently, but her bizarre appearance was only part of the wiry, disheveled look she’d developed. Every time Will saw her, she seemed distracted, hassled, confused by the presence of other people, and more than once he’d caught her muttering to herself in Polish. What ever was going on with her had ruined her already tenuous grip on the margins of normal be havior.

“I wish we hadn’t lied to each other. I wish I’d asked for support when I needed it. I wish she had confided in me. But mostly I wish Feodor and Peregrine were gone. I think we could have worked things out if not for them.”

“Have you talked to Josh about what happened?”

“No.”

That was an understatement. Josh barely spoke two words to him. Then again, he barely saw her. She spent all her time with Feodor.

At least, Will thought she was spending all of her time with Feodor. Except for when she was dream walking, she wasn’t at home very much.

“Do you want to talk to her about it?” Malina asked.

“I don’t know. Sometimes. Sometimes I want to explain why I had to break up with her.”

“What would you say?”

“That I did it to protect myself emotionally. That it had less to do with her than it had to do with Feodor and Peregrine and all that chaos. I want to tell her . . . that it wasn’t because I didn’t care about her.”

“Do you think she knows that?” Josh, with her monstrous capacity for guilt and self- blame?

“Nope.”

“Would you feel better if you told her?”

You can purchaseDream Forever (Dream Walker #3) at the following Retailers:

Author Spotlight

Photo Credit: Fusion Photography

KIT ALLOWAY writes primarily for young adults, having always had an affection for teenagers. In addition to writing, she plays various musical instruments, decorates cakes, mixes essential oils, and studies East European languages. She lives in Louisville, KY with her family and four very tiny dogs.